7 Day Detox

I have decided to go on a 7 day detox. I have done extensive research on detoxes and decided to pick a very mild one to try. This is going to be my first detox so I wanted it to be a simple short one. The thought of laxatives to clean out my colon and intestines seems a bit... scary to me. As does a just fast (or "juice feast"). While I may move up to a fast like this one day, I just want to try a nice simple short one for now.

I picked up a detox program from Walgreens (but I'm sure it's at any pharamacy) the other day for only $12.99. It is called "Detox 7" and contains fiber packets and pills. The fiber is meant to help flush some of the toxins out of digestive system while the pills are meant to detox other systems in your body. The box comes with a pamphlet that outlines the week long detox.

The reviews online for this detox are almost split. A lot of people said it worked for them and gave them more energy. Others said it did nothing for them at all. All the other detox plans I have seen online have similar reviews though. There are some people who like it and some who don't. So I just decided to try it for myself.

Besides the program as outlined in the pamphlet, I am also going to tweak my diet a little for this week to supplement the program.

7:00
1. Detox 7 Fiber packet mixed in water.
2. One glass of water.

7:00-8:00 Workout followed by a fruit smoothie with brown rice protein.

12:00
1. Salad.
2. Lunch.

3:00
1. Green Tea.
2. Piece of fruit.

5:00
1. Salad.
2. Dinner.

9:00
Snack (fruit or nuts)

Throughout the day I am also going to drink between 6 and 8 glasses of water.

This is not an exact schedule, but an idea of what I am going to be eating. On Monday and Wednesdays I do not go to the gym because I have a swimming class from 9:00-10:00 so I'll be drinking my smoothie right when I wake up. After swimming I'll probably have a piece of homemade protein bar (recipe at bottom).

For lunch and dinner I've decided to start each meal with a salad of mostly vegetables. After that I'm allowing myself to eat "whatever I want." Of course I don't mean "whatever I want." Whatever I eat I'm going to try to keep as healthy as possible and I am going to try to keep vegan for this week. In addition to helping the detox, it will be a trial to see if I can handle being a vegan.

Being a vegan comes with a host of possible health concerns but I think I have found a solution for each of them.

For Iron and B12 I have a multi-vitamin that contains 100% of my daily recommended dosage for each.

Protein was a little trickier to figure out. I'm working out every morning so everything I read tells me I need a lot. Non-conventional sources say otherwise though. They make the point that they have never heard of anyone having a protein deficiency. It's just not something you have to worry about. I'm not sure if I agree with this though if only because it goes against everything doctors tell us. I will however agree that most Americans probably get too much protein and most of that protein is from meat.

According to www.veganbodybuilding.com, you only need 1 gram of protein for every kilogram of your weight. I weigh 135 pounds or 60 kilograms, which means I need about 60 grams of protein a day if I want to gain muscle. Other vegan bodybuilders say you need 1 gram for every pound you weigh, but that would mean I would need 135 grams of protein a day. That is an insane amount to try to consume every day. I'm not even sure that is possible. I think the 60 grams is more reasonable and possible.

Here is a breakdown of where my protein will come from:

20 grams from the brown rice protein mix.

20 grams from nuts and legumes. Some of this will come from beans in my salads or from nuts I'll snack on during the day.

10 grams from vegetables and spirulina. This obviosuly will come from the salads I eat. It surprises most people that vetables actually contain some protein. Not a lot but I think I should be able to get about 5 grams from vegetables each day. The other 5 grams will come from the spirulina powder I have which I can mix into drinks. I got the spirulina from GNC for only $10. There are much more expensive brands out there, but the generic GNC version should work just fin.e

10 grams from soy. I'm not a huge fan of soy protein because I've heard some bad things about it. Some people say it can raise your estrogen levels while others say soy is perfectly fine and is actually really good for your heart. I figured 10 grams a day can't hurt. I'll be able to get this 10 grams from soy milk, tofu or tempeh.

So that's it. That's about what my diet will be for the next week. I'll try to keep a log every few days about how it is going and how it is making me feel. Stay posted!

Peanut Butter Protein Bars.

Ingredients:
1 cup of peanut butter.
1 cup of oats.
1 cup of protein powder.
8 tablespoons of syrup or honey.
Soymilk as desired.

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowel except the soymilk.
Add the soymilk as needed to help you make a thick paste.
Spread the paste into a pan and place in the refrigerator.

That's it! No bakeing!

You can subsititute many of the ingredients if you want. Instead of soymilk I used two cups of water. I also put raisins in it which made them really nice.